Justice Peter Lifu rules that the disputed letter was not genuine, dealing a setback to the David Mark-led faction’s claim that Bala voluntarily relinquished his position.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected a purported resignation letter allegedly written by former African Democratic Congress (ADC) Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu Bala, ruling that the document was not authentic.
Justice Peter Lifu, in a judgment delivered on Thursday, November 5, held that the letter relied upon by the faction led by former Senate President David Mark to establish Bala’s resignation could not be accepted as genuine.
In a Certified True Copy of the judgment obtained by a correspondent on Wednesday, the judge said his comparison of the signature on the disputed letter with those on Bala’s witness statements on oath revealed material differences. He consequently ruled that the document could not serve as reliable evidence that Bala voluntarily relinquished his position.
Justice Lifu explained that certification of a document does not automatically establish the authenticity of a disputed signature, adding that courts must examine such documents alongside other relevant evidence. He also noted that judges could compare disputed signatures with admitted or established specimens without necessarily requiring expert testimony in every case.
The judge said he was not satisfied that Exhibit ADC-1, the disputed resignation letter, represented Bala’s genuine act and therefore rejected it as proof of his voluntary resignation from the party’s deputy national chairmanship.
The dispute is part of the ADC leadership crisis, which followed the emergence of the David Mark-led leadership and Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary. Bala approached the court in September 2025, challenging the legitimacy of the leadership arrangement.
The Mark-led faction had maintained that Bala resigned on May 17, 2025, and that the letter was subsequently communicated to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Bala, however, repeatedly denied authoring the document and publicly described it as forged in April 2026.
Justice Lifu also held that the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola at the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting on July 27, 2025, had not been shown to comply with the mandatory requirement of democratic election under Section 82(3) of the Electoral Act 2022.
The judge said the powers of the party’s National Executive Committee and INEC’s subsequent recognition of the leadership arrangement could not replace compliance with the statutory requirement.
The judgment further complicates the ADC’s leadership dispute, with the Mark-led faction rejecting the decision and indicating plans to appeal. It also raises fresh uncertainty over the party’s preparations for the 2027 general election, including the status of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s nomination as its presidential candidate, which was also affected by the court’s decision.